About GIJosef

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Usually with Demolisher lists in my experience playing against them, you want initiative so you can maximize the use out of it. In the first turns depending on deployment you want to move demolisher last so you can get one shot off and then when the turn flips, you get two shots off before he scurries out of danger. This is usually the case with the launcher variant and not so much APT. But it's still extremely potent.

If I'm using Adar Tallon and Yavaris I include Luke 100% of the time. Especially with Dodonna, if you get him up to the Defender with Adar, unactivated him and double tap with Yavaris, that's 3 chances in one turn to get the hit/crit combo straight thru shields. I can tell you from experience that Vic and I's HATE that combo. Or the more common Demolisher of Pain (fully kitted out expanded launcher type) will absolutely LOATHE Luke like this.....Just a thought

For a store demo a couple weeks ago I went with 300 points bare bones lists with a few squadrons to throw in. I think in all I had an 2x AF-B and a MC30 Torp plus a few X-Wings. I used Dodonna as the Admiral. No upgrades and no objectives. I wanted them to get a feel of the Admiral and 3 ships with squadrons but also keeping it simple enough that it was easy to grasp basics. To me, the starter scenario just doesn't give the game justice. It's great for setting it up on the dining room table and figuring the game out with your kid, but with experienced people at the store showing new people the game, it goes pretty smooth with the setup I ran. We hooked two new players in, they have a basic understanding and immediately wanted to play more.
IMO, it's the environment they're introduced to. Having people that know the rules and know the mechanics helps immensely. I know when I first got into the game, even the starter scenario was difficult enough on it's own. I would have LOVED to have someone that knew the game show me the game like I demo'd it recently.
The Imperials had a Vic and two Glads bare bones with a few Tie's and a couple Advanced.
We tried to make the lists as similar as possible (same number of activations and similar number of squadrons. It can work very well if you keep it basic enough and even enough to where one person doesn't feel "outgunned".

I faced a 3 ISD Motti list in a tourney a couple months back. After the initial "oh sh!t" moment seeing all three beasts on the board...I whittled the left side flank protect down with Rieekan bombers and then went after Motti. As I was a pretty fresh n00b, I made a couple tactical errors during the game plus having a Yavaris activated Luke roll blanks on 3 turns (yes, 6 attacks!) or Motti would have been space dust. My opponent and I discussed afterwards that you just have to bring some fighter screen along or expect them to die relatively quick like, especially to a bomber list

I always run squadrons in my lists as I feel naked otherwise. Tie's 6-10 depending on the list. I ran one with 6 and felt it was a bit underwhelming however, those 6 did a decent job of harassing bombers but were easily outmatched with A's, X's and even more-so with YT-2400's. This is why I run (with our meta here), Dengar and Howlrunner mixed in with a couple of Advanced and 6 Tie's as a minimum. The advanced if placed correctly can cover both "flanks" of the ball and then the Dengar/Howlrunner combo gives them Counter 2 once the Advanced die...and they will die. By that time, you have the ball ready to pounce and administer pain in the process.

With the Screed ISD II I've been running SW-7 Ions with XX-9's. Being able to guarantee hits out of blue dice is extremely nice in addition to capitalizing on Screed's ability to hand out 2 Critical effects once shields are down is very nice!
I also agree with the critique on Squadrons. I've been recently running 3 Firesprays with a standard Jumpmaster just to run interference. With this list, you have minimal ability to activate squadrons specially with the ISD not having boosted comms, you're not using it in a "carrier" mode.
I like your Demolisher setup but I agree in dropping Insidious and the engine tech off the second one too. Maybe swap the Glad I for a Glad II as well. The Glad II will also provide just a smidge more for Anti-Squadron in the occasional "pinch".

I'd suggest you learn the game comprehensively before you start deciding to arbitrarily remove parts of it, Imperial Ships (ISD/VSD) usually get one chance per game to use a full frontal dice pool, upgrades allow this to actually do something, rather than a poor roll, and that is it, your chance is gone.
And where do you even start on deciding what is "cheesy" Boosted Comms and Expanded Hanger bays..allowing you to activate one more squadron, and at long, not medium range, is that cheesy? or Tantive IV with Raymus, allowing you to hand out 2 tokens to ships in range? I do not think anything in this game is cheesy, or must have, or you will lose if you do not build a certain way, the upgrades add a much needed layer of complexity to the game.
The game is very very well balanced, you take 2 ships with good upgrades, your opponent brings 5 ships no upgrades, sure your 2 will be potentially stronger than any individual ship he brought, but when he is activating 3/4 ships after yours, suddenly 2 ships is not so hot, Seriously play the game, all of it, learn it and understand it, and you will see what I and everyone else here is saying, There is no cheese
Edited to add : you can have zero upgrades, and still get zero defense tokens, all depends on how many accuracy results come up.
Amen EK! I have a new member in my group that wants more objective to choose from. He says "the current ones are kind of meh". Ummm, you're stating this all the while having just the demo game as a means of judgement? I told him to seriously play the game a few times and learn how the lists work with missions and get the intricacies of those figured out before we start begging for more objectives.
Things like that and complaining about overpowered ships/lists just make my head hurt. By no means am I any expert at this game, but you nailed it, if someone has a fully pimped out Demolisher and a pimped out ISD, they are hurting in other areas. This game is IMO, well balanced. When you see discussions about squadron vs non-squadron lists and it's split about 50/50 in regards to favored and non-favored, you have a balanced game. Learn the rules, learn the strengths and weaknesses of the ships and the synergy with Admirals and upgrades. You'll enjoy the game more and more once you start seeing how balanced it already is without suggesting and implementing "tweaks" that you think benefit a game that went through rigorous play testing to develop in the first place.